Don't think it is complete certainty that he will not be in the rotation. alot depends on what he shows in spring training. Keep in mind that Smoltz won't be ready till the end of May at least. Also Penny Is coming off an Injury so it will depend on where he is at. In any event Buckholtz will get innings this year. It's a long season. You can never have enough arms. Look how many different pitchers started games for us last year.

My instinct is that you simply hate the RS, but I don't talking to NYY fans, living in the Bronx like I do.

1-I
think Buchholz has as much talent as I've seen since Clemens. I think
he has more 'stuff' than Lester. My guess is that when he gets it,
he'll be as good as anyone in BB. But there is certainly no certainty
that he will get it. And I doubt there is any 'in-between'. Bowden
could be a 2, 3, or 4. Buch will likely be an ace or nothing.

I
agree with not going after Young, he has a crippling contract and been
in a steady decline the past couple years. The Rangers would have to
pay a huge portion of his salary for the Sox to even consider a deal
and Lowrie is a better long term option anyway. I also agree with your
assessment of Clay to an extent, there is no way Clay has the Clemens
type fast ball some claimed he had. Another year at AAA with no real prayer of breaking our roster next season really makes me wonder what Theo's plan might be?

No hitters has always been the best stat to rate the best pitchers, after all Doc Ellis pitched one while on LSD. He must be better than no-no hitter Roger Clemens... brilliant.Have you really deluded yourself to think Buc is better than Santana? Maybe this whole "Theo Chick" things is more widespread than even Law thinks.

So....Buchholz is overhyped and won't win more than 13 games in a season but he's the first name and central figure when every other team wants to talk trade w/ Boston?

Either way, methinks he'd be available if the catchers last name happened to be McCann, Mauer or Martin. For Saltalamacchia, who's most noteworthy achievement thusfar is a last name that runs from armpit to armpit on a road uni? I think not. Buchholz "hiccup" last season is definitely not uncommon but apparently Minnesota, Texas are still pretty interested. My guess is because he's had a dominant track record up until last year, won't be 25 'til the end of this season and his two most ML-ready pitches, his change and curve; are secondary pitches. That bodes well; he's proven he can throw them for strikes. Couldn't use either pitch effectively in '08 because of his poor fastball location; always behind in the count. That certainly needs to improve but should come w/ more seasoning. Most importantly, he's a young, INEXPENSIVE, moderately-successful starting pitcher with, accurate or not, a perceived high upside. That remains the most valuable commodity in all trade scenarios not involving established players.

I've read quite a few threads today and I am confused as to if Law2005 is a Red Sox fan or a Yankee fan and he is also extremely rude and simplistic. So Dewey you say that he has analytical prowess but from what I have read he loses every logical argument wthout exception and is also disliked by 95% of the people in here. Perhaps if I go back and dive into the archives then his arguments have some merit but from what I read today they don't. When he is tested to respond with facts, sources, or logic, he responds like a child and spews childish defensive remarks that I find embarassing for an adult.

Moon, Law Dewey and now Shump. A real circle jerk. Be careful pulling your head out of each others ahole. Idiots abound. Hey Guys, How long you idiots been Redsox fans? Let me guess just 2 years. 2004 and 2007. You pathetic morons.

Lester looked really shaky on the mound when he first came up, even before the health issues surfaced. It was amazing to see him transform himself over the past few years into an elite picture. I did not get it a few years ago. Now I understand.

The slant you put on the Santana negotiations is drivel. Santana would have cost much more than just Bucholz. His 136mill contract for one. Great non deal by the sox. We reaped the benefits of that "non-trade" by the great seasons of Lester, Masterson and Lowrie. I cant imagine that you would make the Santana deal for the prospects. We are paying Bucholz 400k!! We have him under contract for 6 yrs. Santana makes 23mill.

I disagree with the tone of this thread entirely. Most of you guys were doing the same song and dance about Lester last winter. Same thing and all you knuckleheads were wrong!!!!!!

By all accounts I have read and heard and after seeing Bucholz in person twice last year, its clear to me that he is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. He has a ceiling of being a "cheap" stud frontline power pitcher. Theo, Francona, Farell, Sox Scouting, and most other scouting reports have consistently confirmed his ability. Their refusal to trade him is a testimony to his potential.

The haters on this site do a disservice to young players like bucholz and Ellsbury, making it harder to succeed in tough towns like Boston and NY. No patience on the part of the fans and organization has cost the yankees and pressured any young players out of town. Boston has developed these young players, and should have the patience to let them perform before giving up.

[Quote]
The slant you put on the Santana negotiations is drivel. Santana would have cost much more than just Bucholz. His 136mill contract for one. Great non deal by the sox. We reaped the benefits of that "non-trade" by the great seasons of Lester, Masterson and Lowrie. I cant imagine that you would make the Santana deal for the prospects. We are paying Bucholz 400k!! We have him under contract for 6 yrs. Santana makes 23mill.

I disagree with the tone of this thread entirely. Most of you guys were doing the same song and dance about Lester last winter. Same thing and all you knuckleheads were wrong!!!!!!

By all accounts I have read and heard and after seeing Bucholz in person twice last year, its clear to me that he is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. He has a ceiling of being a "cheap" stud frontline power pitcher. Theo, Francona, Farell, Sox Scouting, and most other scouting reports have consistently confirmed his ability. Their refusal to trade him is a testimony to his potential.

The haters on this site do a disservice to young players like bucholz and Ellsbury, making it harder to succeed in tough towns like Boston and NY. No patience on the part of the fans and organization has cost the yankees and pressured any young players out of town. Boston has developed these young players, and should have the patience to let them perform before giving up.
[/Quote]

Buchholz was abysmal last year - and he showed a make-up that doesn't bode well.
You want to hold onto him and hope he wins 20 games in 2012? Good luck with that.
Meanwhile the 2009 team needs a bat and a catcher.

Perhaps Theo is holding on to Buch b/c he feels that they will be able to get better value for him at the trade deadline.

I was thinking the same thing myself. You could easily get Montero for a lesser prospect than Buchholz. And then you could go after Fielder if you needed to. I'm not a fan of Fielder, but he's on the block, and it is unlikely that Buchholz' value would decrease in AAA. And we'll have a better knowledge of our health come July.

Schumpeter once owned an apple orchard but never was convinced that the apples on his trees were any good so he would buy them from the adjacent orchard down the road. It is the same with MLB teams, don't raise your own players when the best ones can be bought from other teams. Perhaps the Red Sox now have a more fertile orchard now compared to years ago, More money to sign the best draft picks, better scouting, better farm system , better development, and more patience. Maybe the present system is better than the system of the old days.